Timely county payments help KEMSA keep hospitals stocked
Kajiado county, which serves about 1.29 million residents, procures medical supplies quarterly to support services in 129 health facilities, including seven hospitals, 26 health centres and 96 dispensaries.
The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has reported a major improvement in its Order Fill Rate (OFR), attributing the gains to wide-ranging reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s medical supply chain and enhancing access to essential health commodities.
The authority said the progress follows a comprehensive reform programme designed to address long-standing challenges, including global supply chain disruptions, financing constraints, procurement delays, weak forecasting systems and inconsistent demand planning among counties.
As a result, KEMSA said its Order Fill Rate has improved significantly, with some counties now recording levels exceeding 90 per cent, translating into better availability of medicines, laboratory supplies and medical devices in health facilities across the country.
The authority noted that the reforms are supporting Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage agenda by reducing stock-outs, ensuring patients receive medicines when needed and restoring confidence in the public health supply system.
Kajiado County was singled out as one of KEMSA’s strongest partners, having consistently procured health products and technologies since the advent of devolution.
The county, which serves about 1.29 million residents, procures medical supplies quarterly to support services in 129 health facilities, including seven hospitals, 26 health centres and 96 dispensaries.
Since the beginning of the 2025/2026 financial year, Kajiado has procured health products worth Sh165.8 million, helping maintain steady medicine supplies across its health facilities.
Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku welcomed the improvements, saying,
“We are pleased that we are flagging off health products and technologies from KEMSA worth Sh50 million. We are happy that refill rate from KEMSA has steadily improved, now standing at almost 80 per cent.”
Lenku stressed that prompt payment by counties remains critical to sustaining uninterrupted medicine supplies and encouraged residents to utilise health insurance services such as SHA to improve access to healthcare.
KEMSA Commercial Director Eliud Mureithi said the partnership with counties such as Kajiado has played a key role in improving health service delivery.
“We confirm that Kajiado County has not lacked medical supplies because they purchase from KEMSA,” he said.
Mureithi added that KEMSA has strengthened its transport and distribution systems to enhance last-mile delivery, noting that the authority deployed about 10 trucks carrying medical supplies during the latest consignment dispatch.
“KEMSA stands for improved healthcare in Kenya, and we are supporting Universal Health Coverage. We are supporting every woman and child in ensuring we have enough medical supplies so that no woman dies during childbirth and children being born realise their full potential through improved healthcare,” he said.
He added that Kajiado had procured medical supplies worth about Sh200 million this year and commended counties that have honoured payments on time, urging them to maintain the momentum.
KEMSA said it will continue investing in supply chain visibility, warehouse modernisation, predictive analytics and workforce development to further enhance efficiency and achieve full customer satisfaction across all counties.
“Every woman, every child should have access to the medicines they need when they need them. Today’s KSh 50M consignment reflects our commitment to equitable healthcare and better health outcomes for all Kenyans”, KEMSA Commercial Director added.
KEMSA said it has enhanced demand planning through closer collaboration with county governments, the Ministry of Health, health facilities and development partners.
It has also streamlined procurement processes by improving supplier performance and reducing lead times to ensure faster availability of essential medicines and medical commodities.
The agency has further modernised its operations through digital systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Warehouse Management Systems and Logistics Management Information Systems (LMIS), improving stock visibility, order processing and inventory tracking.
